REFRESHING
24th Aug 2022
To you the name Onesiphorus may not be very familiar, to the Apostle Paul it was of great significance - why? Because he “refreshed” him practically, spiritually and emotionally. 2 Timothy 1:16-18 in The Message gives the details.
Onesiphorus opened his home to Paul many times, he visited him in prison, searched him out when he heard Paul was in trouble - he seems to have often been there when Paul needed him.
I’ve been thanking the Lord for this house where we have lived for 34 years, which has been such a blessing to us and to so many others. It was built by folk who are now good friends. Josephine told me that as they built, she had the sense they were building for someone else. During this time we were living in Sussex contemplating a move to Somerset and praying very specifically about where we would be living.
At one point I made a list of the specific things I asked the Lord to incorporate in the new house. A year later after we had moved in, I found the list again and ticked each specific point. We prayed that this specially constructed house to be a blessing to all who visited, and it has proved to be a place of peace and refreshment for many.
Christian friends have purchased the house and I believe it will continue its ministry and be a light in this neighbourhood and a place of refuge and refreshment.
Hospitality is a tremendous blessing, undervalued, but so precious to those who are on the receiving end. Just as a cold drink on a hot day - so is the joy of being able to relax with friends, share a meal or a cuppa and be in an atmosphere of love and acceptance. It’s a wonderful refreshing experience and Proverbs 11:25 tells us that, “He who refreshes others will himself also be refreshed.” So the principle of “give and it will be given to you” continues as we put it into action.
This past Sunday at Church we had a spontaneous invite to lunch with a group of friends. In the middle of a house move it was such a blessing. I came home “refreshed and revitalised”. In the scripture we are instructed to “practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13). With the Covid restrictions it hasn’t been easy, but let’s re-evaluate how we use our homes and time.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
